With Moana 2 coming to 4k and Blu-ray March 18, and hitting Disney + March 12, the filmmakers behind the epic sequel sat down to confirm our favorite voyager’s new title.
io9 spent a day at Walt Disney Animation Studios to get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Moana 2, taking part in a walk-through of the special features that will be included in the home release of the hit theatrical sequel. From VFX work to the directors taking us through the storyboards of the final act of the movie, we got to learn more about what the movie is setting up for Moana’s (Auli’i Cravalho) future—and the work it took to get there when the film shifted from a Disney+ series to a full-on theatrical feature.
Directors David G. Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand talked to io9 about how the series arc ended up coming together for the film.
Hand explained, “The next chapter of Moana’s story, ultimately [what] we were planning [for the] series was the story we told in [the] feature. But we were just able to tell it in the biggest most effective way, on the big screen.”
Even more Moana is something fans are now hoping for, and thanks to the film’s success it could be in the cards. There are story ideas already, Derrick shared: “When we started the story for this, we knew that there were so many more stories that could be told. And so obviously, we wanted to be able to keep the door open if we so desired to want to make more, if the audience’s desire was there.”
The presentation included a look at how Moana’s sacrifice was painstakingly put together, creating a big moment that really pays off when the ancestors let her come back different in a big way. In our interview, we asked if it was meant to inspire more adventures with Moana and Maui on a more equal plane. “We purposely set up that,” Derrick said, meaning as a culmination for the film with possible paths to follow. “But we really wanted to tell a story that in itself still felt complete and felt like we’d seen a journey. We’d seen Moana [and] Maui change within [the film], so it’s meant to do both.”
Hand emphasized that Moana 2 was meant to be a new, complete story for its heroine. “Ultimately our theme is that you never stop choosing who you are, discovering who you are. So it felt also just very appropriate [for] the second film to end on that open question. We know that she has become a demigod. But what does that mean exactly?”
Moana being a wayfinding demi-god has us so excited to see her use her magical oar to unite more people. While the filmmakers are hush about a third film, we geeked out about seeing Moana in her demi-god glory at the theme parks, and asked whether or not they’d consulted on future attraction plans based on the events of Moana 2.
“We were just working so hard to finish the film and to get it to where it is, the fact that there’s going to be a desire for that within the parks was incredible,” Derrick shared. “We did see the walk-around character stuff, which was so exciting for us to see.”
Hand interjected, “Oh my gosh! She’s going to be walking around in the parks [in] flesh and blood. That was really exciting. So any additional thing that comes from that was just that would be incredible.”
Another game-changing reveal in Moana 2 comes in the post-credits scene, where the recently defeated storm god Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) calls a meeting between the angered gods who have dealt with Moana and Maui’s heroic ambitions. Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), the Bat Goddess, shows up now free but still somehow having to answer to Nalo, and we get a shock when Tamatoa makes his presence known.
The “shiny” crab god, a fan-fave from the first film, is back, voiced once again by Jemaine Clement, and this bad guy team-up has the fandom intrigued about what it might mean. Clement’s cameo was always in Moana 2‘s plans but as the story changed it got shifted around.
“We were always planning for a Jemaine cameo within the story. You know, at one point [it] was the beginning,” Hand shared, explaining how that evolved as the villains might be getting primed to continue to challenge Moana and Maui. “At the end, we always wanted to see Nalo and to kind of really see the face of this antagonist. So yeah, it kind of all came together but it’s something that we had been playing around with for a long time.”
Derrick explained why they decided to keep the villain tease after the film’s conclusion. “At one point we ended before the end credits with that—and then we felt like, ‘Oh no, let’s end on that just incredible high of understanding what Moana has become. That she’s going on this new journey, [and] let a few credits roll.”
“Yeah, and then bring it up to kind of set the stage. Let us see these characters and laugh a little bit,” Hand added, noting it was perfect to bring back Tamatoa in the end to add levity. “But the Tamatoa Jemaine version of that is so funny. Just like, ‘Yeah, she you know basically screwed us over’ to commiserate with Nalo. It’s so funny.”
Moana 2 will drop on Disney+ March 12; you can also buy it on 4k or Blu-ray March 18.
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